The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 20, 2001
Filed:
Dec. 12, 1996
Thomas L. Eddy, Idaho Falls, ID (US);
Other;
Abstract
A novel process and apparatus for the thermal partitioning of heterogeneous feedstock for the production of a metal product, a glass ceramic product and a gaseous product. The process includes the capability for thermal treatment of hazardous waste as defined by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which also contains radioactive isotopes in some cases (mixed waste as defined by the Department of Energy) and the production of stable long-lived products as a result of treatment. More specifically, this invention relates to a novel process and apparatus whereby an input feed stream of a widely heterogeneous nature in the descriptors of physical form, combustibility, chemical content, and particle size and contaminated with varying concentrations of hazardous components and/or radioisotopes is treated in a direct current graphite electrode arc melter with a contiguous thermal oxidizing reactor for the production of a metal product, a basalt-like glass ceramic product and a fully combusted offgas. The apparatus described incorporates an offgas fast quench configuration for the minimization of dioxin formation and subsequent ease of cleansing of the offgas stream.